National Assembly leadership: Saraki, Dogara win as APC rejects outcome

A section of Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) teamed up with members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party of former President Goodluck Jonathan to cause yesterday’s upset.The APC held a straw vote to elect Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan (APC, Yobe) as its candidate for the position of Senate President and George Akume as deputy. However, former […]

A section of Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC) teamed up with members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party of former President Goodluck Jonathan to cause yesterday’s upset.
The APC held a straw vote to elect Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan (APC, Yobe) as its candidate for the position of Senate President and George Akume as deputy.
However, former Kwara state governor Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who defied the party and contested, was elected Senate President unopposed, backed mainly by PDP senators.
His election took place in the absence of 53 APC senators who were at the time meeting with President Buhari at the International Conference Centre.
For their support the PDP members were rewarded with the position of Deputy President which Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP retained for the third time.
In the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara emerged the speaker in a keenly contested election with Femi Gbajabiamila, immediate past minority leader of the House and the APC candidate.
In his reaction, President Buhari said he would have preferred the new leaders of the National Assembly to emerge through the process established by the All Progressives Congress (APC). His party, the APC, described the outcome as “totally unacceptable and the highest level of indiscipline and treachery.”
The Senate election
It all began when at 10:02am the Clerk to the National Assembly Alhaji Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa entered the senate chamber and read the presidential proclamation signalling the beginning of the 8th session of the National Assembly.
While Maikasuwa was reading the proclamation, Saraki entered the senate chamber and was greeted with standing ovation from his colleagues.
The Clerk called for nomination, and former Zamfara state governor Ahmed Rufai Sani stood up to nominate Saraki. He was seconded by Senator Dino Melaye from Kogi State.
With no further nominations, the Clerk returned the 51-year-old Saraki as duly elected 14th president of the Nigerian senate. His late father, Saraki senior was the senate leader in the second republic. For the deputy senate presidency, Senator George Sekibo (PDP, Rivers), nominated Senator Ike Ekweremadu and was seconded by Senator Olaka Wogu.
Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC, Borno), was also nominated for the deputy senate presidency which resulted into election by secret ballot.
Seventy five votes were cast and Ekweremadu polled 54 votes while Ndume got 20 votes. One senator was absent.
Text messages were circulated to House members and senators allegedly by the APC leadership inviting them for the meeting scheduled for 9am, one hour before the election commenced.
When the roll call of senators-elect was taken by the senate clerk Mr. Ben Efeturi, only 57 out of the 108 senators were present, all of whom were Saraki`s supporters.
However, the election went ahead because their number surpassed the minimum requirement of 37 lawmakers for a quorum in leadership election.
Sources in the senate told Daily Trust that former senate president David Mark who had been backing Lawan withdrew his support at the 11th hour after being pressured by the PDP leaders including governors. Saraki, sources said, sealed the deal with the PDP after APC annointed Lawan.
This is the first time a member of the opposition political party would be elected deputy senate president since the second republic when Nigeria adopted the presidential system of government in 1979.
Speaking to reporters after the election, Senator Ali Ndume admitted that he knew he was going to lose to Ekweremadu because, of the 57 senators present, 49 were of the PDP.
Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly and former House member Ali Ahmed told Daily Trust that Saraki should be commended for saving the APC from losing the senate presidency to the PDP.
PDP went into the election with 49 senators who delivered a bloc vote while the APC had 69 lawmakers who were evenly split between Saraki and Lawan`s camp.
Some members of the ruling APC rebelled against the team up with the opposition.
Dogara defies APC
Like Saraki, Yakubu Dogara also defied the APC and contested in the election to the position of the House of Representatives.
In a keenly contested election he defeated the party’s candidate, Femi Gbajabiamila, former minority leader.
The election in the House opened at 12.33 noon after the Clerk to the National Assembly Salisu Maikasuwa, announced that President Muhammadu Buhari transmitted a letter to him proclaiming the inauguration of the 8th National Assembly.
He directed the Clerk of the House Sani Omolori to call for nomination.
Dogara was nominated by Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC, Kano) for the position of speaker and was seconded by Dike Okafor from Imo State.
In nominating Dogara, Abdulmumin Jibrin said:  “… It is with pride, honour and privilege that we ask, request and even demand that you Hon Yakubu Dogara, inspite of the personal consequences, do accept the nomination as the speaker of the 8th House of Representatives, I so move.”
Dr Muhammad Sani Abdu from Bauchi State nominated Gbajabiamila, while Philip Shuaibu from Edo State seconded.
With no further nomination Omolori explained the procedure for voting and members began to cast their votes at about 1.25pm and it continued until 3.30pm.
As the counting of votes was going on, supporters of both Dogara and Gbajabiamila clapped intermittently each time their candidate seemed to be ahead.
It was observed that there was serious tension among supporters of both candidates when they appeared to be going neck-to-neck.
However, at the tail end of the counting, when Dogara and his supporters realized that he had reached the 181 votes required to clinch the position, they started jubilating sending the House chamber into rowdy session. 
It took several minutes before Dogara and his supporters calmed down. Gbajabiamila went to congratulate him even before the official announcement of the result.
Announcing the result, Clerk to the National Assembly Maikasuwa said Dogara polled 182 votes, while Gbajabiamila got 174 votes. Two votes were voided. Altogether 358 members took part in the election.
Dogara had earlier arrived the floor at about 9.30 in the morning and was greeted with a standing ovation by his supporters, while Gbajabiamila and his supporters were away to attend a meeting with President Buhari.
Dogara was greeted by songs of solidarity by mostly members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) along with few other APC members, who chorused “solidarity forever! Solidarity forever!”
Leadership of the PDP had earlier thrown its weight behind Senate President Bukola Saraki and Dogara, directing its members in the National Assembly to vote for them.
The chamber witnessed a lot of drama before, during and after the voting process as supporters of the both Dogara and Gbajabiamila were busy shouting on top of their voices in support of their candidates.
Before commencement of the voting, many invited guests, including two former speakers Ghali Umar Na’Abba and Patricia Etteh were seated. Also present were Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo and the Alaafin of Oyo Oba Lamidi Adeyemi along with his wives.
The chamber was equally filled up as many of the lawmakers came with their spouses and family members among others.